Nick and Judy - Seven Years Later
by whitepicketfence
Summary: It's been one year since Nick Wilde was made Chief of ZPD. Now looking to settle down, when will he have the courage to ask Judy Hopps out on a date?
1. Gideon's Freshly Baked Donuts

As Nick pushed open the doors of Zootopia's 1st Precinct he was greeted by the sweet smell of freshly baked sweets. Gideon Grey was standing at the front desk, having just delivered what looked like five pies and a box of donuts. His eyes met Ben Clawhauser's, the precinct's desk sergeant, who was stuffing his face with pastries.

"O-M-Goodness, Nick! It's SO good to see you again! How was your weekend?"

"Just fine, Ben. Hey, thanks for asking. We should get together next weekend and go bar hopping in the Rainforest District. I hear those Amazonian chicks are something else." Of course, he didn't mean it, he had his eyes set on someone else, but the guys exchanged a chuckle, while Nick grabbed a donut on the way to his office, and gave Gideon a pat on the back. "Hey Gideon, how's business at the bakery? Last I heard the lines were out to the street!"

"Yeah, it's -"

Nick had reached his office. He cut off Gideon mid-sentence, managed to let out a half-hearted "Well, that's great!" and slammed the door behind him.

Ever since Gideon opened his new bakery in Zootopia, he's been at the precinct almost every day delivering his damn donuts. Nick was getting tired of seeing that fox's face every day, but he was especially tired of seeing him fawn over the girl he loved: Judy, who also happened to be his best detective. Well, enough was enough. He had finally decided that today would be the day he'd ask his old partner Judy Hopps out on a date. As he took the last bite of his donut he took out some of the latest files he had been working on and laid them out on his desk.

It had been seven years he had come onto the force, but walking into his office as the new Chief of Police always managed to throw him off. It was only a year ago that Chief Bogo retired, and made Nick P. Wilde his replacement. It was an honor of course, but a surprise nonetheless. Nick always managed to make a sly remark to Bogo during their daily briefings, but he solved each and every case with ease (with help from his trusty partner, of course). The old life of conning people out of their money and trickery he left behind made for a pretty good cop, but Bogo and Nick both knew there was only one more animal more qualified for the job. That animal was Judy.

Chief Bogo had actually offered the promotion to Judy first, knowing how great of a detective she was, she'd also make a great leader at the ZPD. Although humbled to know that Chief Bogo was offering her his job, she knew she couldn't take it. She loved being out on the streets of ZPD fighting crime daily. Interacting with the citizens of Zootopia, and actually seeing first-hand how much she helps people…there was no better feeling in the world than that. There was a lot of administrative work that came with being Captain, rules to follow, and higher ups at the mayor's office that needed…well, a lot of kissing up to. Chief Bogo was disappointed, not shocked when she didn't take him up on the offer.

"Well, I can't say I don't understand. You've always had a hands on spirit about you," Chief Bogo told her. He had grown to care for Judy, almost like he was looking at a reflection of his younger self, after working side by side for six years.

Judy smiled. "Thank you for the offer, sir. But you know me, I've always wanted to be a cop, and I need to be out there…" Judy struggled to find the right words. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is, I enjoy being out there. I get a rush from catching bad guys!" After exchanging more pleasantries between the two, Judy gave Chief Bogo one last salute, and started to head for the door, but not before she got in one last word.

She turned around, one hand on the door knob. "Sir?" Chief Bogo peered his eyes up from the mountain of paperwork on his desk to acknowledge her. "Maybe it's not my place to say this, but I think Nick deserves that promotion. He'd be good at it, and he's much more of a leader than I am." She knew that if Bogo ever took her up on her recommendation that she wouldn't have Nick anymore for a partner, but it meant a better future for Nick, and that was enough for her.

Nick smiled at the thought of Judy, who was probably going to walk into his office any second now. Even though he was her boss now, their long-time friendship took precedent over their work relationship. They still treated each other like the old pals they always have been. And always will be, Nick sighed as he let that thought slide into his mind. He quickly shook it off. No, this is no time to be negative. Forget work today, it's mostly traffic tickets and domestic disturbances we're responding to anyway these days. There are plenty of officers who can handle that! I have one thing to do today: ask Judy Hopps out on a date.

As he was getting all of his documents in order, and just about to sit down in his chair, Judy Hopps flew into his office with a bunch of paperwork in hand. "Hey, Nick! Boy, do I have so much to tell you!" Judy spoke a mile a minute as she dropped all her paperwork on his desk, and started to move her arms in the air, describing an intricate story. "Remember that string of robberies case you assigned me to last week? Well, of course, you do, I mean it was only last week! I have a new lead, and I'm going to meet with him today. He thinks he might have some information on the getaway car the heist thief used. WOW, is it just me or is it really hot in here? I think it's really hot in here. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. I tried an espresso for the first time today! It was amazing, I can't believe I've ever lived without one!"

Judy fell back in her seat, across from Nick's desk, trying to catch her breath and fanning herself with her paw. She had so much energy she thought she was going to burst. All of a sudden Judy felt self-conscious as she watched Nick's blank expression turn into a devilish smile. God, he was handsome, she thought. All this time she had been talking, Nick was half seated with his arms the only thing holding him up from his desk chair.

"Wow, Carrots, if you didn't just tell me, I would have thought you were running on a full eight hours of sleep, not caffeine." Nick chuckled as he settled into his chair, but suddenly his expression darkened. "But seriously, Carrots you're getting rest, aren't you?"

"Of course I am, Nick! It's just that this case has been driving me crazy…It's been our first huge case since the Night Howler's, and well I just don't want anybody to get hurt on my watch." Judy leaned forward, her elbows on the desk, and her head resting on her paws. She suddenly felt tired, as if admitting she was stressed finally made her crack. She tried to suppress a yawn, but it came out anyway.

Without thinking, Nick reached across his desk for one of her paws and held it in his. He smiled at Judy, his eyelids a bit droopy, catching Judy by surprise. Her mouth slightly agape at Nick's sudden gesture, a rush of heat flooded to her cheeks, the corners of her mouth began to turn upwards. Nick looked down at their paws and slowly took his away, afraid that he might have overstepped his boundaries.

"Well…uhm" Nick cleared his throat as he wracked his brain for something to say, and shifted his gaze from Judy to a fleck of dust on his desk. Just as he was about to bring up the date, Judy stood up from her chair, announced she had to go back to work, but not before thanking her Chief for the kind words of support. Nick, knowing he missed his opportunity, gave her a nod.

"Of course, Carrots. Anything for you."

 _Come on, Nick! You can do it. Just ask._

Just as Judy was about to leave, one hand on the door knob, Nick found his confidence once again.

"Hey, Judy? Before you go, I have one last thing to ask you."

Officer Hopps turned to face her boss again, now making his way across the room to her. Judy started to feel her heart pound in her ears. _Keep it together, Judy. Sweet cheese and crackers do I still get the butterflies around him or what._

"Yes, Nick?"

When he was within a few inches of her, Nick, his mouth agape, stuttered and managed to get out these last few words.

"Will you, um…will you get me another donut from the front desk?"

 _Smooth, Nick. Real smooth._


	2. Nick Steps Up

Later that same morning, ZPD's 1st Precinct

Once Nick did a role call and handed out that day's assignments, Judy shifted her focus from her Chief once more to the new lead she was going to visit. She didn't know much about who she was going to meet, just that his name was Abdul and she was to meet him at the Palm Hotel in Sahara Square. So she had better hop on it or she'd hit mid-afternoon traffic on her way back to the precinct.

She headed towards her locker to retrieve her phone. As she was filling up her canteen with water to take on her short day trip, she turned her attention to her phone. She had four missed calls from her parents. _Oh no_ , Judy thought. _Better call em back._

Just as she was dialing their number and heading over to her cruiser, she received an incoming communication on her walkie-talkie.

"Hey Judy, you forgot to take your canteen with you. You're going to need it; Sahara Square is at its hottest mid-day."

 _Huh?_ Officer Hopps turned around to see Nick heading towards her with the canteen she had left on top of the water fountain. She smiled at him, "Oh, Nick!" She met him halfway across the parking lot and took the canteen from his paws. "Thanks."

"I thought I might join you today. Is that alright?" Nick had a bunch of paperwork he had to go through, but he wanted to tag along with Judy while she followed up on her lead. She was headed towards a sketchy part of Sahara Square, and he wanted to make sure she'd be alright.

"Uh, sure! That's great." Judy had an extra pep in her hop as she jumped into the driver's side of the cruiser, Nick following suit on the passenger's side. "You sure they don't need you at the office?" Judy teased.

"Of course they do. Clawhauser was practically begging me not to leave. On his knees, really." Judy slapped his arm playfully and returned her attention back to the road. They were merging onto the highway that would take them straight to Sahara Square. With light traffic, they could make it there in an hour.

"Har har. Well, I'm glad you're here. It'll be nice to have some company today. I have to say, and I'm sure you'll tease me for what I'm about to say, but it's been a lonely year without you by my side."

Nick, who was fidgeting with the radio, stopped and slouched back into his seat at the thought of having to assign Judy a new partner. It was uncommon for police officers, especially detectives, to go without one. He knew Judy could take care of herself out there, but even some of the bigger guys on the force, have found themselves in situations when having a partner, meant the difference between life and death. _I'll assign her a new partner as soon as I get back to the precinct. I've been so jealous of the attention she gets from other males I haven't been thinking of her safety first_.

Judy didn't seem to notice his sudden lapse in demeanor, but even if she had, Nick quickly switched back to his wisecracking self.

"Honestly, Carrots, I'll probably go down as one of the best partners of all time. Most attractive, too." Judy let out a laugh, but she didn't say anything else. Nick expected a bit of a back and forth between the two, but Judy stayed silent, smiling to herself as she kept her gaze focused on the road ahead of her.

 _Hmm_ , Nick thought. Testing the waters, he pushed his aviators higher up on his nose and turned his head towards the window. He watched the cars pass by them, and worked up the last few bits of courage he had, to ask her out on a date. If she rejected him he wanted to at least have his eyes covered, and his face turned away from the love of his life when she did so.

"Judy, remember earlier today when I asked you to bring me a donut?"

"Uh, yes. You were so upset when I came back with a chocolate donut instead of a blueberry filled cream, your favorite. They were out, Nick! You know how Ben loves Gideon's donuts, well, any donuts really." Judy merged lanes to take Exit 34 – Sahara Square, the view of what had once been an abandoned land was now the gambling center and party scene of Zootopia. Billboards advertising casinos, bars, and clubs filled the sky as they slowed down and filed behind the line of cars wanting to enter downtown Sahara Square. Judy put the car in park as she could tell it was going to be a few minutes before traffic started to move again.

"True, Ben does like his donuts. We should try to get him to go jogging with us one of these days. It might really help him lose weight, he was complaining about his knees bothering him the other day. Anyway, I'm getting a bit off topic." Nick paused to clear his throat. "Listen, Jude, you've been working around the clock this past week. Seeing how it is almost the weekend, how about I take you out for drinks and a movie? My treat."

Jude's heart skipped a beat. _Is that what he was going to ask me this morning? He must mean like a real date if it took him this long to work up the nerve. We've gone out for drinks before, but he's never…officially…asked me. We've always gone out because it was a spur of the moment kind of thing._ Judy sensed that something was different about Nick. He was shy and reserved when asking like he was bracing himself for her to say no.

Judy took a moment to answer as she tried to make her heartbeat return to a normal pace. She was sure that Nick could pick up on her excitement, a fox could pick up on minute changes, such as fear or nerves in traditionally prey animals, with his heightened senses.

Nick and Judy both spoke at the same time.

"We don't have to go as a coup -"

"I'd love to go with you on a -"

They both blushed. Judy spoke first.

"Sorry. You go first."

"Well, I was going to say that we don't have to go as a couple…we could go as friends." Upon seeing Judy's smile fade away at those words, Nick quickly backtracked. _Darn it, Nick! You should have just let her take the time to answer. She was going to say yes!_

"Or we could go as a couple, I was just—well, it was just-that you didn't answer right away. So I assumed that you didn't want to, but I mean, what I'm really trying to say, is I'd really like to go for drinks and a movie as a couple…what do you say?" Judy's ears perked up at that, and her smile returned. She was blushing feverishly through her fur, especially after hearing Nick awkwardly explain what he was trying to do when he asked her out.

Noticing that he got a positive reaction from Judy, Nick's ears perked up too. Knowing Judy would say yes, this time he was comforted by the silence that followed his words, and he placed one of his paws on Judy's knee.

"Wow, Nick if I didn't know any better, and do correct me if I'm wrong on this one, I would have thought you had a crush on me. What with stumbling over your words and all, what happened to my slick Nick today?" Judy teased.

Nick let out a belly laugh, but she noticed that he didn't correct her.


	3. The Palm Hotel

Sahara Square

The Palm Hotel

Nick felt like he wanted to jump out of his seat and run through the halls of the Palm Hotel, screaming at the top of his lungs that he, Nicholas P. Wilde, had a date with Judy Hopps, his best friend and the most attractive bunny in Zootopia. He felt like he was in his twenties again, only this time he wasn't getting his thrills from conning animals out of their money. Instead, he was sitting next to his partner in crime, Judy, at the Palm Hotel's dining room waiting for Abdul, their new lead, to arrive.

The work of a police Chief wasn't too romantic, but Nick loved that he got to see Judy every day. Plus, the salary and benefits weren't too bad. But for now, he had to put aside his feelings and try to get into an investigative mindset. Abdul was supposed to be there any second now with information on the thieves that were terrorizing Zootopia for weeks. Grimacing, Nick grabbed at his shoulder as he felt a shooting pain run down his upper back.

"You okay, Nick?" Judy glanced at over at Nick as she was reviewing her case notes.

"Yeah, but my shirt is a bit tight. You know I've been working out more."

"Yeah, okay." Judy giggled.

The waiter came over at that moment "Nick Wilde?" An Abdul is here to see you."

"Oh yes, bring him right over." Some short moments later a stout middle-aged camel joined Nick and Judy at their table. Judy gave him a quick once over; Abdul had on a nice suit, ironed and pressed, carrying a briefcase in his hand.

Judy reached her paw out to shake Abdul's. "Hey Abdul, nice to meet you. We're so glad you're here. Did you just get off work?"

"Uh, yes. It's my lunch break. I, um, wanted to get in touch with you guys after I witnessed the robbery, but well, I don't know - I'm just, just, it was the first time I've ever experienced something like that. I spoke with you," Abdul nodded towards the female police officer. "over the phone. Judy, right?"

"Yes, you did. My name is Judy Hopps." Sensing the camel's nerves, Judy's voice softened. "You're very brave for reaching out to us. The ZPD is here to keep you safe," Judy gestured towards her partner. "This is the Chief of ZPD, Mr. Wilde, he's helping me out today."

"It's nice to meet you, Sir. Like Judy said, we're here to help. Would you like something to drink, maybe something to eat? I could go for a sandwich." Nick waved over the waiter.

After some more chit chat, they found that Abdul was an accountant in his mid-forties, living in the suburbs of Sahara Square, with his wife and three children. He was on his lunch break last week when he stepped into the bank that had been robbed, waiting in line to deposit his paycheck.

"I was terrified. They threw me onto the ground…I-I was so sure that I was a goner. Well, everybody knows that they're mid-sized animals, they've been caught on video. But nobody knows if they're prey or predator. Sheep or wolf. They bundle themselves up and use masks to hide their facial features. What I can tell you is that there was a group of four inside. The leader was the tallest of them, I didn't catch a good look, but he dropped something when he ran out." Abdul opened up his briefcase to reveal, much to Judy's surprise, a cell phone.

"With all due respect, why didn't you report this to the police officers who responded to the crime scene?" Judy shot Nick a warning glance, he could tell his voice was rising, but Abdul was stressing him out. This was the most anxious animal he'd ever met. If the camel just handed over the cell phone to the forensics team the day of the crime, they wouldn't be so behind in this case. "How can we even know if you're telling the truth right now?"

Judy tried to interject for Abdul, but Nick gave her a stern look and held up his paw, "Please, Judy let Abdul explain himself. I mean, this is serious stuff we're dealing with here," Nick turned his attention again to the camel, who had started clasping his paws together in worry.

"Gee, I'm sorry Chief Wilde. This is embarrassing to admit, but I'm a bit of a worry wart. My therapist says I overthink stuff a lot, she's actually the one who convinced me to talk with you guys…I'm sorry I didn't get back to you guys sooner. It's just I left as soon as soon it was clear. I picked it up thinking the cell phone was mine, that it fell out of my pocket," Nick, watching Abdul hand over the evidence to Judy, softened as Judy placed her paw over Abdul's, and thanked him at a tone barely above a whisper. Poor camel, he's a damn mess but right now I just want to get out of here.

When the three of them had finished their lunch and started to get up to leave, Nick took Abdul aside and apologized for being a bit short with him.

"Ah, don't worry about it Chief. Water under the bridge. Sometimes I think our wives hold it better together than we do," Abdul chuckled, he was definitely more relaxed than he was at the beginning of their meeting.

"Well, I wouldn't know about that…"

"Oh, wow, now I'm the one apologizing to you," Abdul let out a small laugh. "I thought you and the officer were married." Smiling, Nick told him that wasn't the case, but it was in the works.


	4. Bonnie and Stu

**Thank you for the nice reviews, everyone! I'd like to give a special shout out to** **Pherenike 2 for leaving multiple positive reviews! You're a rockstar! I try to update as much as possible, like every few days or so. This is a bit of a short chapter, I wanted to devote an entire section to Judy's relationship with her parents. Don't worry, there will be a lot of romance between Nick and Judy very soon!**

Judy and Nick arrived at the 1st Precinct drenched in sweat. Nick excused himself, saying he had a bunch of work to attend to. Judy waved at him as he bounded up the stairs to his office, shivering once she walked into her own air conditioned room. Her work area wasn't too much to rave about, it was the size of a janitor's closet, but it was certainly enough for her. Putting her stuff done, and settling into her office chair she opened MuzzleTime on her phone. She realized her parents had called two more times during her trip to Sahara Square, and she knew she couldn't put off calling them any longer.

"JUDY HOPPS. Why in the world didn't you answer our phone calls? We were just about to walk out the door and take the next train ride into the city. Now, your mother and I know you're a big thing over there, a big city cop, or whatever they call it, but that's no excuse for ignoring your family. Now, how are ya pumpkin? Doing fine? What's the scoop?" It was hard to believe, but Stu, her father, was actually one of the saner out of the Hopps family.

"Dad! I'm doing great! I'm working a new case, I think you may have heard of it, it's been all over the news …Is mom there, by any chance?" Judy's mom came into view, snuggling up next to Stu on the couch in the family room.

"Judy! We've been worried sick about ya, Hun. When can you come down and visit us? Your sister just gave birth a couple weeks ago. She and Bill came up to visit us. Those little babies are just darling!" Judy's mom became very stern with her suddenly. "When are you going to give us some grand babies, huh Jude? You are thirty-two years old, JUDE. You can't wait much longer, Hun. Your biological clock is ticking!"

Judy rolled her eyes at her mom. Groaning, she said the same thing she always said when her parents mentioned babies or settling down, "Mom! You know I'm a cop, right? If I have kids now I won't be able to go back to work, you know that. Raising a litter takes a lot of time." Judy watched as the expression on her mom's face fell, and felt a twinge of guilt. Quickly wanting to make it up to her, she decided to tell them that Nick had asked her out on a date. Stumbling over her words, she managed to get the following sentence out.

"But…I did find a guy. At least, I think. I mean, I'm going out on a date this weekend."

"WHAT? JUDY, THAT'S SUCH GREAT NEWS!" Her parents both spoke at the same time, asking for details like, who was this incredibly lucky bunny their daughter was going out on a date with, and if they could meet him any time soon.

"Well, you don't actually have to meet him because you already have." Her parents both looked at each other confused, "What do you mean, Judy?" Stu asked.

Judy gulped, not knowing how her parents might react, she just said it. "It's Nick, Dad."

A few moments of silence passed before anyone spoke. Finally, Judy's mom, Bonnie, broke the silence.

"Well, I mean, that's great! You have to excuse your father and me, it's just a shock to us, Judy that's what it really is. This is definitely going to take some warming up to. We know that interspecies relationships are more a thing nowadays, but you know me and your father, we're pretty traditional." She paused, before adding "But, honestly Honey. We're happy for you." She even let out a little squeal of pure glee.

Judy nodded. "I know, Mom. Dad, you okay?"

Stu, looking a bit distraught, came to his senses a bit. He cleared his throat and wiped what appeared to be a tear from his eye. "Oh, Jude. I'm just worried about the backlash you're going to receive from other animals. Even though interspecies marriage is legal now, a lot of people still have such backward attitudes. You know what happened to your cousin Fran a couple years ago…" His voice trailed off, breaking as he tried to keep it together.

"Oh my God, Dad it is way too soon to be thinking about marriage. And it's awful what happened to Fran, but that was in Bunnyburrow. I'm in Zootopia now, people are much more accepting here nowadays. Nick only asked me out on a date, guys. It might not even lead to anything honestly." Judy hoped that her downplaying would put her parents more at ease, but even she couldn't buy the crap she was spewing.

Her parents gave her a skeptical look. "Really, Judy? Don't even pretend like you don't know this is going somewhere. Honestly, I'm offended you think your father and I are that dumb."

"Really, Bonnie? I'm actually more upset Nick has taken this long to ask. You know, Jude, I'm not even sure I want you dating this guy. It seems like he doesn't have a pair of-"

"What your father means to say, is he's happy you and Nick are finally making it work. Look at you blush! Wow, I don't think I've ever seen my daughter blush. Look at her, Stu."

"OKAAY, MOM. I have to go back to work now."

"See what you did, Bonnie? You embarrassed her, that's probably why she never calls us back."

"Ugh, Stu. I DID NOT. Judy, tell your father I didn't embarrass you."

And the conversation continued like that as one of Zooptopia's most decorated law enforcement officer put aside her work to enjoy her parents' playful back and forth, even it was just for a moment.


	5. The Career Fair

"Nick? Nick? You there, buddy? Buddy...?"

"Whu..t?" Nick woke up from his slumber, and took in his surroundings. Ben, with a concerned look upon his face, stood in front of Nick, cup of coffee in his paw.

"Did I fall asleep at my desk?" Nick looked across the room at his clock only to find that it was morning. "It's Friday?!"

"Wow, Mr. Workaholic, calm down. The day's just getting started." He gestured to the cup of coffee, "Here, this is for you. I thought you might need it. You have to go to the elementary school today, remember? They invited you to their career fair. It's at 10."

Nick slumped back into his desk chair, coffee in hand, and took a giant gulp. "Thanks, Ben. Where would I be without you, man?"

"Probably still asleep at your desk." They shared a laugh. "Hey, Gideon's here by the way. You want a donut?"

Nick threw his head back in exasperation. He had to say something to Gideon about stopping by so frequently. He straightened his tie and followed Ben out to the reception area.

"Gideon! My main man! How are ya, buddy?" Nick extended his hand to Gideon, who took it graciously. He noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual baker's uniform; instead, he had on a pair of beige slacks and a checkered shirt.

"Nick! I could be better, honestly… Where are we going?" Gideon started, but Nick quickly interrupted him, guiding him back to his office.

"Huh? What, nowhere? My office? Yeah, we're going to my office. Anyway, what's going on? Is the bakery not working out? Hey, it's never shameful to call it quits." Nick ushered Gideon into one of the seats across his desk, and shut the door behind him.

"What? No, that's not what I was going to say. Actually, the business has been going pretty good. I wanted to talk to you about Judy."

Nick froze at the mention of her name but regained his composure. He diverted his attention to gazing outside his window, afraid that his face might give him away. "What about Judy?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you if you think she might want to go out for drinks with me. I've been coming in every day for the past two weeks, and she hasn't shown much of an interest in me. I'm just really at a loss here…Well, what do you think? You've been her friend for years, much longer than I have. Any advice for a fella like me?"

Nick drew in a sharp breath. "Uh, no…I'm not sure what-"

"Ah, Nick, don't try that crap with me. I know you have to remain professional and all since you're the Chief, and she's one of your employees, but I really need some help here. I really like her. Surely, you have some advice for me? Any tips for a country fella like me?"

Nick could feel his blood boiling. He had been on dates in the last few years but they had never blossomed into relationships. He turned to face the country fox who was looking up at him with earnest eyes, "Gideon, you're right. I am the Chief and Judy is one of my employees. This is completely inappropriate behavior from you and I. As Judy's superior, I do not comment on the personal matters of my officers, especially my female officers, to strange men who deliver donuts. Now, please. It's time you high-tail it out of here, and stop trying to hit on the members of my force. We have a job to do here." He stood up straight, and delivered his message sternly.

Gideon's mouth dropped a bit until his shocked expression turned to that of anger. He huffed and stood up out of his chair. Pointing a finger at Nick, he said, "Huh, if I didn't know any better I might have thought you two were together. You do remember that we're cousins, right? You have to be willing to help me out sometimes, man. We're family. You never acted like this when you were busy going out to bars with all those female foxes." Gideon turned to leave, but Nick was quicker, and ran in front of the door, blocking the only way out. He sure wasn't going to let Gideon leave his office without a final warning.

"Listen, bud. I know we're cousins. But I like Judy. There, I said it! I'm taking her out on a date tonight, and it'd be best if you just get out of the way," Nick felt himself going rogue, back to his primal ways. He snarled and bared his teeth, his ears back. He felt scared of what he felt capable of doing, but in a way, he felt surprisingly good. It was hard to put a word on that feeling until it finally came to him. He felt powerful.

It felt as if an eternity had passed between the two. Nick was ready to clobber Gideon, when much to his surprise, Gideon broke out in an all-out laughter. Nick, taken aback and utterly shocked, let his guard down just a bit while Gideon regained his composure. He was doubled over clutching at his sides, crying at the sheer amount of laughter that was coming out of his mouth. Nick dumbfounded, he stood there watching him.

"Whew…oh my golly…Nick," Gideon tried to say between laughs. "I have never seen you so…worked up…about a girl ever…before…in my life." Wiping tears away from his eye, he continued, "For a second, I thought you were going to hit me…But we all know who would have won that one, huh? Nick, if you really like this girl I'm happy for you. I really am." He brought Nick in for a hug, only to pull back suddenly, joking that he was afraid Nick was going to hit him. Feeling a rush of embarrassment, Nick profusely apologized. He shouldn't have acted that way with his cousin, fully knowing that he's a bit of a playboy, and would quickly move on after using Judy.

"So you're going to take her out on a date, huh? Damn, I really thought I was a better baker than that, Nick. Anyway, I'll see you at your mom's house for dinner on Sunday, right?"

"You know she'd kill me if I didn't make it."

Just then there was a knock at the door, and Judy popped her head in. "Hey, Gideon. Hey, Nick. I heard you're going to do a presentation for the Career Fair at the elementary school? Mind if I come?"

Gideon gave Nick a knowing smile. "Well, I have to get going." He took Judy by her paw and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Judy, nice to see you again."

Once out of sight, Nick smiled at Judy and reached his paw out to her. She took a few steps forward, so that their bodies were almost touching, and slipped her paw into his.

"Of course you can come with me. Are you ready for our date tonight?"

"Hell yeah. Drinks and a movie, right?"

"Mhm…" Nick trailed off, smiling, as he became increasingly aware of how close they were.

"Ready to go?"

"Um, yeah. Definitely." Nick cleared his throat and let his paw fall gently from hers. "Let me just get my keys."

Once they were at the school Nick and Judy were ushered into the school gymnasium by the school secretary. It was empty for the most part, but there were some teachers decorating. Judy recognized Mr. Monroe, an elderly elephant, trying to use a tiny tape dispenser.

"Mr. Monroe! Can I help you with that?" Judy bounded over to the teacher, with Nick following closely behind her.

"Judy, how nice of you. I was hoping you'd be here. How are you, sweetheart? Not working too hard, I hope." Judy cut about a dozen strips of tape for the elephant, while the elephant finished taping another poster. There were tables set up for all over the gym, some of them decorated already. There was a table for accountants, firefighters, librarians, all sorts of things.

"Well, the days are long but I wouldn't be me without my work. This is my boss, Nicholas Wilde." The two men shook hands. "How's Alice? I heard you guys have a new grandbaby? Congratulations!"

"Yes, yes. We do. I have photos if you'd like to look at them later." The proud grandfather beamed at Judy. "Well, Judy it was nice to see you again. I hope we have time to catch up later on, but I'm sure you guys have to prepare for your presentation. I have to finish setting up the rest of these posters, too. The principal's been up my butt all day long about having the tables decorated for each profession. Your table is over to the right, by the entrance to the girl's locker room. It was one of the first ones we set up today. I'll see you two around. It was nice meeting you, Nick!"

"Likewise, Mr. Monroe." They both headed towards their table, admiring all the decorations the kids had made for each one. The gymnasium was starting to fill up with animals, and in a few minutes, the teachers had arrived with each of their students. The principal started off the event with a little speech. He reminded them to take notes of the careers they were interested in because they would have to hand in an essay about the career fair next week, which all the students groaned at.

The next hour flew by as Nick and Judy hurriedly tried to spend time with each student who passed by their booth. They were, by far, the most popular booth out of the whole fair. It wasn't until they were out that Nick and Judy got a chance to talk with each other.

"Wow! That was fun. Some of those kids remind me of a younger version of myself. You did great, by the way."

"You, too Judy." Nick opened up his water bottle and drank all of it down in one huge gulp. "Wow, I almost lost my voice."

"Well, kids are loud," Judy paused before adding something else. "Nick, did you notice the kids who were mixed species? I guess it's just more common nowadays."

"Yeah…it's great, you know. The fact that animals are more accepting nowadays. Some animals are still…ignorant, to say the least."

"You know, I wouldn't mind having mixed children," Judy teased.

"Judy! What are you talking about? We haven't even gone on our first date yet," Nick laughed.

"What are you talking about, Nick? Oh…you thought I was talking about us having kids. Where in the world would you get that idea from?" She let out a huge giggle, jogging ahead of Nick to the police cruiser.

Nick felt a sudden rush of desire for Judy and caught up to her just as reached the driver's side. He swept her up into his arms, simultaneously picking her up off the ground. "You think you're so funny, huh? Toying with a man's heart like that? Hey, Judy. Aren't you ticklish?" Nick playfully responded while Judy's eyes widened, knowing that she had been beaten.

 **Thank you for all of your support! Seven Years Later is an ongoing story, so make sure to follow this story to get updated when I upload a new chapter.**


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